Identity
by Libbeth
Summary: After being saved from a slave trader, Kaida Desko now has to adjust to life as a resident in Suna. It goes well at first, but what happens when you throw in a potential threat plus a curious Kazekage? Gaara/OC GaaOC GaaraOC GaaxOC GaaraxOC.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Naruto.

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_**Chapter 1**_

**An Intervention**

Behind the piles of paperwork on the oak desk of the Kazekage's office, there was a man who had the unfortunate job of reading each paper closely and signing the proposals he agreed on. Most of the paperwork was mission requests from not only there in Suna, but also for the outlying, smaller villages that were still under the laws and protection of Suna. Suna was the capital of the Wind country, and the man behind the desk, the Kazekage, was the leader of said country.

Gaara of the Desert fidgeted in his seat. He would much rather be at home enjoying one of his sister's brilliant homemade apple pies but unfortunately, the paperwork had that unnerving calling to him. He couldn't go home until it was all completed, or at least looked over anyway. True, he was a little behind in his work, but this was only due to the influx of mission requests as there had been word of a bandit caravan moving through the Sand country. Gaara had already sent four of their black ops shinobi to investigate these bandits but they weren't due back for at least another two days.

After the fourth shinobi war, Suna flourished in economy, education, and medicine. The alliance with the hidden leaf village proved fruitful as they were constantly swapping resources and shinobi. At first, Gaara was reluctant with this proposal by the new Hokage, but in the end it proved useful to have as much help as possible. The sand and leaf villages were closely allied and the other countries knew this as well. As a result, neighboring countries were hesitant to try and attack the leaf or sand, because they knew that the two countries would come to each other's aid in a heartbeat.

Gaara couldn't help but let out a small smirk at the thought of the new Hokage. It took Naruto Uzumaki a long time to attain this title. The tailed fox was still sealed within him, but Naruto had earned the village's trust and affections. Tsunade hasn't passed away. Instead, she voluntarily passed the title on to Naruto once he proved he was worthy. Gaara was there at Naruto's coronation and he remembered Tsunade saying to the blonde shinobi: 'I was merely keeping the seat warm for you'. Indeed, everyone believed that Naruto would lead the leaf village to greatness, and he would be remembered for many years to come.

A knock at the office door snapped Gaara out of his train of thought. The red head lifted his head slightly to acknowledge the visitor. Ah, it was his sister, Temari.

"Gaara," she had a worried look on her face as she walked closer to her brother's desk. "We have an issue."

The Kazekage frowned "What is it, Temari?"

"Those bandits are slave bandits. They're in the marketplace now trying to sell off some of their prisoners. It's disturbing the villagers; I think you should make them leave."

Slave bandits were very uncommon nowadays. In fact, Gaara thought there were none left. These bandits would raid small villages and kill the children and elderly. Any men and women who looked strong enough to work were taken to a random village and sold off one by one. It was almost one hundred years ago where the laws for slave trading and slavery were abolished. Gaara could understand why it would upset his village folk, they would not like to see innocent and abused men and women sold off. His people knew the law, and he trusted that they would abide by it.

"Thank you Temari, I'll head out there now with you." Gaara stood, ignoring the rest of his paperwork and dropped his pen on the desk. He then walked over to the couch in his office where his gourd sat and he picked it up, strapping it to his belt before heading out the door with Temari so she could lead him to the marketplace.

* * *

"Ah shit boss, looks like no one wants to buy a slave here." A bandit grunt looked to his master for a response. The slave bandits had been in the marketplace for an hour now and none of these sand villagers were interested in buying one of the five slaves. Yesterday, they raided a very small village in the water country and were able to procure three males and two females abled enough to work. The rest were killed off. Slave bandits had no remorse. They were cruel, malicious, and selfish.

"Give it time, they just have to get used to the idea." Goki, the slave master and leader of the bandit group snarled back to his grunt. He looked over to the slaves who stood with their hands bound and in a straight line outside the travelling cart.

"Stand up straight ye' sloppy vermin!" A crack of a horsewhip against the cart made all five of them stand up straight. Four of them looked at each other nervously, but one remained silent, staring at the ground. Goki looked at her with a frown. This woman had been silent from the moment they captured her. He didn't even know her name because every time he would ask, she would simply shrug her shoulders. He knew she wasn't mute, he remembers hearing her talk to the other slaves quietly, like she was comforting them. He didn't quite have the youngest female figured out yet, perhaps she was just quiet and shy. He could beat the answer out of her, but that would wreck her face and skin. He didn't want to sell slaves with bruises and cuts; it could make them too weak to work for goodness sake!

"Hey, you!" Goki turned to see a young man standing in front of the cart. His unusual face markings matched with his black trousers, shirt, and headpiece made out that he was some sort of shinobi. Goki sneered at the young man as he turned to face him.

"What do you want runt? I'm trying to run a business here!" With those words, three of Goki's bandits armed themselves, ready for a fight.

"It's an unwelcome business here chump!" After a wave of his arm a gangly doll appeared beside the young man. Chakra strings illuminated from his fingertips. Goki knew then and there that this boy was a puppeteer; the Sand village was famous for producing fine shinobi who mastered the art of using their chakra to infuse it with a puppet. Goki was about ready to waste this young man until another voice interrupted their little stand-off.

"Kankuro, I will deal with them."

Another young man appeared. His stance, robe, and the fierce look in his eye made him out to be some sort of person of authority. Goki's thoughts were confirmed when he noticed this Kankuro relax his stance and his puppet lay on the ground next to him, silent and still. The newcomer, along with a blonde woman, stood next Kankuro. The red head man stepped forward slightly, addressing Goki as he spoke.

"Slavery and trading is illegal in the Wind country, and in any other country," Gaara's stare turned into an intense glare. "As Kazekage I order you to leave my village and return these people to where they came from." His deep, cold voice matched with his intense stare made Goki's bandits stand on edge and nervous. Goki's eyes widened slightly as he realized he was addressing the Kazekage himself, leader of the wind country. The blonde woman behind him held a human-sized fan and it had been opened slightly to reveal a distinct purple spot. Judging from the look in her eyes she too was ready to fight if given the chance. Not wanting to tarnish his reputation or spoil his stock, Goki backed down.

"Very well Kazekage. I take my stock with me though."

Gaara reluctantly nodded. The longer these slave traders lingered in his country, the faster word might get through the village that there were illegal activities happening in Suna, what would be worse is if the news reached Konoha, the hidden leaf village.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gaara of the Desert could see the shock in the 'stock's' eyes as Goki ushered them on to the cart. He felt a pang of guilt inside for allowing the slave trader to take these people, but if he made Goki leave them behind, he knew there would be conflict. It was the last slave lined up to get on the cart that caught Gaara's attention the most. It was a young woman, likely around his age with hair as golden as the desert sun. He could feel her eyes pierce into him like a hot knife, and all he could see in those eyes was anger. Gaara understood her anger; he wasn't stopping Goki from taking them with him on his travels. Unfortunately, he had to think of the interests of his village. He didn't want the women and children of Suna to see a massacre in the market place.

She stood there at the end of the cart, staring at him with the piercing anger, almost as if she was in a trance. It made Gaara feel uncomfortable under her gaze, something that does not happen often. However, both Gaara and the woman were brought back to reality with another crack of Goki's whip on the edge of the cart. She jumped, and suddenly she took on a reserved, shy, cowardly demeanor. She lowered her head, her bangs covering her face, and she stepped onto the cart along with the rest of the captured villagers.

* * *

"I know you wanted to rescue them Gaara, but we all knew what you were thinking." Temari was trying to comfort her little brother. Dinner time came around quickly and it had only been an hour after the incident with the slave trader Goki.

"I know Temari; I didn't want my villagers to see a battle. I felt it was best to just let them go." Gaara sighed as he took a sip from his glass of water. His mind kept racing back to that girl who glared at him as she got on the cart. Her eyes were the color of fresh spring leaves, but they held sadness in them that kept bothering Gaara. It annoyed him. Naruto had taught him how doing good deeds can make you feel accomplished. Ah yes, what would Naruto do? Gaara frowned and took in a sharp breath as he thought of his good friend in Konoha. What… would… Naruto do?

"There wasn't much you could do that wouldn't compromise the best interest of the village." Kankuro chimed in, trying to make Gaara feel like he wasn't the bad guy in this situation.

Something snapped in the back of Gaara's mind and he stood up.

"No, I can't sit by and let him try and sell those people off as slaves. It's not right." Gaara looked to Temari. "I want you and Matsuri to go with Baki and two black ops shinobi to retrieve those five slaves. I'll draw up the paperwork tomorrow but I want you to just go get them. They can't have gone far with a slow cart; it has only been an hour."

That was probably the most the sand siblings had heard out of Gaara all afternoon. Temari stood to attention and bowed her head slightly. Now, he was her Kazekage. She and Kankuro have mastered the art of Gaara's moods. They are able to tell in an instant just by the tone in his voice when he was acting as Kazekage, and when he was just being their brother.

"Yes Gaara, I'll go assemble them right away." Temari thanked the stars that she hadn't gotten into her pajamas yet. Gaara looked at Temari.

"Bring them back, and let them stay in the hospital until I can decide what to do with them."

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R&R Please!


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Naruto.

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_**Chapter 2**_

**Collection**

"I've sent Tora ahead to find them. Their tracks looked like they headed in an easterly direction."

"Straight to the fire country…"

Temari sighed as Matsuri presented her findings to the team leader. Konoha would no doubt not welcome the slave bandits, but even after Gaara told them it's illegal for them to even have these people and refer to them as slave, they still persist in trying to sell them. It depended on the height, weight, build, and overall appearance of the slave that determined their worth. Temari remembered reading about these bandits during her theory lessons at Suna's academy.

Tora was Matsuri's trusted falcon. She had discovered her talent in falcon taming and training and so Gaara had placed her in charge of the Falcon quarters of Kage tower. No letter was sent or received that she didn't know of, especially if it was to do with the Kage and political matters. She was trained in the art of deciphering coded messages for Gaara, and it was her job to bring the translation to him and send a coded reply. Her favorite part of the job however was caring for their twenty or so messenger falcons that lived in the very top of the tower. Matsuri had developed a close bond with Tora, a black female falcon she rescued after being struck down in a sand storm.

Now, Tora served as Matsuri's scout, and this combined with Matsuri's light weight and speed, it made her the perfect team mate on search and rescue missions. Any mission that involved recon or scouting, Gaara would no doubt put Matsuri on the team. He was proud of his student, he remembered her as a lost little girl who was afraid to pick up a weapon, but over time he had a deep happiness for her that she had finally found where she belonged in the shinobi world. That is, a highly regarded scout shinobi and a falcon tamer.

As if on cue, the group heard the call of Tora from a distance. Usually Tora would come back to Matsuri and show her the way, but instead Tora had stayed put and squawked consistently, which wasn't normal for the tamed bird. Something was wrong.

After running full speed over the next hill, the sand team stopped dead in their tracks and stared. Matsuri put her hand up to her mouth, as if she was going to throw up while Temari dropped her shoulders and rubbed her palm on her forehead. Baki and the other ninja's remained respectfully quiet, used to the kind of scene before them.

Death.

Before them laid the freshly killed bodies of the slaves they saw in the market place. Anger stirred inside Temari. Why? Why did Goki have to kill them?! Of course, if these bandits knew they were wasting their time with their stock, they were just killed and left for the crows. The stench of fresh blood filled her nose and it made her sick inside. She had seen this kind of carnage before, but what hit her hardest was that the sand siblings had the opportunity to save them before. Instead, they pretty much sent them to the slaughter. Baki placed a hand on his former student's shoulder.

"We will bury them out of respect."

Temari nodded solemnly and motioned for the black ops team members to begin digging. Matsuri walked along each of the corpses, at least trying to check for any signs of life. None. Instead, she cleaned up the wounds as best she could and moved the dead into dignified positions; on their back, legs straight, and arms folded neatly on their chests. Matsuri felt a wave of guilt over her, what were they going to tell Gaara? He would probably be furious with himself. Matsuri looked on as the black ops shinobis had finished digging the four holes. Wait. Four?

"Weren't there five?" Matsuri's voice chimed into the silence.

Temari's head snapped up at Matsuri's comment. Slowly, the blond wind user counted the corpses. There was only four when she distinctly remembered that there were five slaves lined up. A wave of hope flowed through the blonde as she walked over to Matsuri.

"You're right," Temari put a hand on Matsuri's shoulder. "There were five…" Looking around, Temari spotted a pool of blood. "There!"

By this time, the black ops shinobi had finished burying the four dead slaves and after saying a traditional prayer for them, walked over to join the other two team members along with Baki. The older Jonin kneeled down and dipped his forefinger in the blood.

"It's warm. If there were five like you said there was, the fifth would have headed off in this westerly direction. Possibly back to Suna."

A black ops shinobi chimed in. "We buried three males and one female. The one you're looking for will be female."

Temari nodded, a sudden determination was seen in her eyes as she looked towards the faint trail of blood, the likely direction the fifth woman had gone. Without hesitation, Matsuri threw Tora into the air and the falcon headed off in a deep search.

* * *

Kaida stumbled through the desert. Her whole body shook from not only the cold sandy night, but also from the laceration across the rid side of her stomach. She had only just dodged the killing blow of the bandit's blade and collapsing on a rock was enough to knock her out, making the bandits think she was dead. Her whole body ached, from her skull to the very tips of her toes her muscles screamed. She craved just somewhere to sleep for the night and a warm fire. Her hair was stained with blood from the knock to her head, and her face covered in sand, dirt, and the blood of her fellow villagers.

Where was she going? She had no idea. She didn't want to go back to that village in the sand, why would she want to return to a village where its leader just turns away the needy and helpless? She waited for him, she waited for the Kazekage to at least acknowledge those in pain and psychological agony, but instead he remained indifferent and cold. Some leader.

After the Kazekage dismissed Goki and his leaders, they headed out into the desert and travelled for about an hour or so before stopping to water the two horses that pulled the cart. Kaida could hear the bandits talking, saying how much of a waste of time selling her and the villagers would be. Goki agreed with them, and before Kaida knew it she and the rest of the villagers were being pulled from the cart. Goki stated they were allowed to walk around and stretch their legs, get some fresh air. Kaida immediately sense d foul play, but the other four were none the wiser. The other female was a lot older than her; she owned the small grocery store in their village. The other three were farmers. They were brothers who Kaida grew up with. She wasn't close friends with them, but the occasional chat was welcomed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kaida saw the bandits draw their blades and without warning, sliced through one of the males before turning towards the rest. Panic stricken, they scattered, knowing that they were going to die and they weren't ready to accept it. One bandit turned to Kaida and the old woman. She stood over Kaida, protecting her, but the bandit merely cut her throat before turning to Kaida. He drew his blade high, a malicious grin on his face, and swung it down to her. Kaida was able to move just in time to dodge the killing intent, but she did receive a large laceration to her side. Falling over, she ended up knocking her head on a rock and passed out for a good half an hour. By that time, the bandits had gone and her comrades were dead. Kaida kneeled in the sand; her head buried in her arms as she cried for them, for their horrible fate and she cursed the bandits, hoping that she will find them and kill them herself. All she could do then was pick herself up and try to find shelter for the night.

And so there she was, in the middle of the desert and stumbling to and fro from the loss of blood. She didn't want to die like this; her willpower wasn't going to let her. She was determined to find shelter even if she used the last of her energy.

And then, she fell.

Kaida tripped on her own feet and ended up crashing into the sand below her. It was soft, but that didn't mask the pain she felt when a dust of sand got into her untreated wound. She had to find something for her wound as well or else it might get infected, which can ultimately lead to blood poisoning. A small sob erupted from her as she realized her strength was waning fast. She tried to stand up but the uneven ground only made her lose balance and she collapsed again.

Rolling on her back, Kaida stared at the moon. The stars were beautiful that night; they shined brightly for her, as if to welcome her to join them. Her parents were up there, they were killed in the bandit's raid. Her father was a great shinobi; he was the main protector of the village. Her mother was beautiful and kind, and owned a small flower shop in the center of the village. Kaida would often help her mother at the shop. Being in a fertile countryside, Kaida and her mother used the land to their advantage and grew some of the most beautiful, healthiest flowers.

As Kaida continued to star at the stars, trying to regain some strength, she saw a bird hovering over her. How odd, what bird would be out in the middle of the desert like this? Tilting her head to the side, Kaida narrowed her eyes and tried to examine the bird. However, it was too dark to make out any sort of features. Was it a falcon? It continued to hover over her and screech. Perhaps it was there to wait until she had died so it could feed on her fresh flesh. At the rate she was going, the bird was probably going to get its wish. That is, until she heard voices, human voices.

"Tora! Over here Temari, I think she's found something!" It was a woman's voice. Relief washed over Kaida, and she closed her eyes slowly, a small smile on her face. Someone had found her, but she was too weak to move or even call for help. Kaida made the mistake of closing her eyes, because she ended up in a very deep comatose state. Her body was shutting her down so that it could recuperate.

* * *

Kaida phased in and out of consciousness for three days straight.

Noon hit on the third day, and Kaida's eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the light as she attempted to make sense of the world around her. Unfortunately, the first thing she felt was pain in her side. She could feel that there were bandages wrapped tightly around her waist; whoever found her must have treated her wound. Blinking a few times, Kaida slowly tried to sit up, but found this almost impossible because of the pain and stiffness of lying in the same position for three days, so she was forced to stay on her back until she could gather the strength to try again.

The room she was in had cream colored walls and appeared rather plain. The white curtain that hung on rails from the ceiling indicated she may be in a hospital somewhere. Her sheets and pillows were white, and she could see a basin and kitchenette in the corner along with an armchair beside her bed. Confusion was overwhelming Kaida, and she tried to sit up again but once she had to bend her core muscles her body screamed with pain and she let out a small yelp before lying back down.

"Miss," A man's voice came from around the corner, "Try not to sit up so suddenly, I will summon the chief medic to assist you."

"Wait!" Kaida called to him and he turned to face her. "Where am I?"

"In hospital, in the village hidden in the sand, Suna." The medic replied.

No!

Kaida frowned; it must have been Suna residents who found her. As grateful as she was, she remembered that this was where the Kazekage resided, and she recalled how he dismissed her and the other villagers, making them go with Goki. She hoped she didn't have to see the Kazekage, she wanted to just regain her strength, collect her clothes, and try to head back to the hidden rain village where she could hopefully start a new life. She was saddened by this thought, and by how lonely she would be, but what else could she do?

Before long, the chief medic entered and asked her the generic questions of how she was feeling, where she was from, and what hurt on her body. Kaida answered them truthfully, and then another two figures entered the room.

"How's our guest?" It was the blonde woman who stood beside the Kazekage in the marketplace, and next to her was… oh brother, the Kazekage himself.

He stared at Kaida quietly, barely moving with an indifferent look in his eye. Kaida glared back at him, the same stare she gave him at the marketplace. Gaara responded to this by matching her glare. He was the one who arranged for her to be rescued and put in hospital with free medical care, food, and shelter, and all she could do was give him the same cold stare? Gaara was about to speak, but the chief medic spoke first. By this time, he had managed to help Kaida sit up and was examining her wound. She wore a simple white T-shirt with white pants, issued by the hospital obviously, but it did make Kaida shudder slightly at the thought of someone changing her and seeing her naked, even if it was a nurse.

"She is recovering well, Lady Temari. My only concern now is to watch the deep wound on her side. It should heal up fine, but it will most likely leave a scar. I need to change the bandage every two days or else it might get infected.

Temari nodded in response and turned her gaze to the girl. She noticed her and Gaara's staring contest, oh yes, she has most likely put her brother in a bit of a foul mood, and Temari will probably have to deal with that later. The reason behind this little stare-down however, was oblivious to the wind user. Kaida broke her gaze and looked over to Temari.

"How did I get here?" Ah! The young woman speaks!

"Lord Gaara here," she motioned one hand to her brother beside her, who had softened his look once Kaida stopped glaring at him, "issued a warrant for the search and rescue after dismissing the slave trader."

Kaida nodded slowly, so he was responsible for her rescue. She was slightly annoyed; she didn't want to be in a village with such an indifferent, unconcerned leader.

"A team of shinobi and I found you in the desert and brought you back here. You've been out of three days."

"So he dismisses us and lets that man take us, clearly knowing we needed help, and _then_ he orders a rescue?" Ice was present in Kaida's voice as it reached Gaara's ears.

Gaara suddenly spoke up. "What is your name?"

Kaida inhaled sharply at his address. She still had a bubbling rage inside her at him, but she couldn't ignore him, he was the Kazekage and her intended rescuer after all. Not only that, but she felt she made have made him angry with her statement before. Oops.

"Kaida… Kaida Desko." She replied.

"Well Kaida," Gaara continued "Stay here until you're strong enough to travel, and then feel free to go back to wherever you came from." Kaida swore she heard some attitude and disdain in his voice, this made the rage bubble inside her and she spat back spitefully "That was the plan."

Temari sensed the tension and put a hand on Gaara's shoulder. "Come brother, you've got a mountain of paperwork and Kaida needs her rest." She ushered him out of the room before rounding on him in the corridor.

"How can you be so rude? You're pretty much kicking her out once she's better!" Temari was being the big sister now, even if her brother was Kazekage, she wasn't afraid to give him the occasional scolding or questioning.

"She doesn't realize I could have just forgotten about her and let her die out there. Why would I want her in this village after being so ungrateful?" He was mostly referring to the intense glares that he received from her; he knew that she was angry with him, and she was in no position to be angry with anyone at the moment. However, if she was going to have this attitude all the time, then why should he make any more effort?

With that, Gaara pushed past Temari as she stood there in silence, and headed home.

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R&R Please!


End file.
